Law's labour lost
The Special Law for Prevention of Women and Children Repression is being misused to settle personal scores and rivalry, judicial officers and legal experts say.
They told the Star that the law aimed at protecting women and children from repression is now being used by influential people as a weapon against rival groups. "The law is benefiting only a few", one expert noted.
Under the Special Law, an accused is put behind the bar soon after charges are brought against him and no court can grant him bail during the investigation period of 90 days.
A total of 1879 cases were registered with the Special Court for Prevention of Women and Children Repression, Dhaka, during the period 1996-1999. Of these, 417 were disposed of and 1462 still remain pending. The accused in 312 cases out of the 417 were acquitted, court sources said.
Besides, many other cases filed with various thanas during the same period simply ended in 'final report' as charges brought against the accused could not be proved during investigation.
The sources pointed out that in 33 cases registered with the special court, the law was used to victimise rivals. They cited Manik Chand's case as a glaring example of this.
Manik Chand, son of Moghul Baksh, a resident of Ganderia under Sutrapur thana in the city, was put behind the bar as an accused under the Special Law. His cousins accused him in December 1998 under the law when they lost a legal battle over a piece of land.
Manik was accused under Section 9 (c) of the Special Law on charges of 'gang-rape' of a cousin.
Soon after Manik was put behind the bar for three months as an obligation under the law, the piece of land for which he had won legal battle even in the Supreme Court was occupied by his cousins, the sources said.
By the time the Special Court acquitted Manik, his rivals implicated him in two other cases-- one under the Explosives Act and the other under the Arms Act. Manik was granted bail in both these cases filed with Kotwali thana.
The rivals who include a ruling party MP from old Dhaka ousted Manik's family from the land and also assaulted his 90-year old mother, the sources added.
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